


When Tony Asked For A Kid...

by quietmessofafangirl



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Gen, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, but only in the notes of chapter 6, more tags will be added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-19
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2019-08-25 22:09:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16669240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quietmessofafangirl/pseuds/quietmessofafangirl
Summary: He Got Three!-----PETER PARKER is back in the world of the living. The Soul Stone experience wasn't as traumatic as most people think it is; but coming back and finding your Aunt dead is. Thankfully, Pepper and Tony were there to help him through everything... but when the nightmares-turned-panic-attacks start, he wonders if maybe they won't let him stick around.CASSANDRA is an orphan. Her father died before she was born. Then, when her mother died when she was six, Cassandra moved in with her Aunt Emily. However, Emily's death two years ago sent a depressed 14-year-old Cass into the spiral that is the foster system, and  now she thinks she'll never have a family again... Until she finds a letter from her mother on her sixteenth birthday that changes everything.MORGAN is still a baby. Tony and Pepper Stark's little daughter might not understand much, but she sure is loud and energetic, forcing her entire family to run on feet and hands after her.With cameos from other Avengers, embarrassing field trips, life-changing discoveries, a visit from a certain 18-year-old mechanic from Rose Hill, Tennessee, and lots and lots of fluff, how will the Stark family's life be?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, beautiful person who took the risk and opened this story.  
> You have to know that I have no idea what I'm doing. This is my first IronDad fic, and let me tell you, it already sucks.  
> WARNING: I haven't got the slightest idea about writing grief or angst, so the fist couple of chapters will be shitty. I hope the others will make up for them.  
> I have only written this first chapter, so far, and I have no idea when I'll write the rest and post them, so, sorry.
> 
> Now that that's over with, enjoy, and tell me what you think!

_He was there. Then he was not. Back again. Not. No, he’s back, he can see his hands now, but…_

_Oh, shit. He was disintegrating again._

_He tried to fight it. He fought with all what he had, but it was just too strong. And, off his ashes went, flying in the non-existent wind of the Soul Stone._

_He wondered briefly if Doctor Strange had disintegrated too. He was a good man, an anchor to Peter in an orange-y world where he couldn’t find anybody other than the doctor. He hadn’t seen him in a while, since the man went to explore around them. He hoped that he’s okay._

_And then he passed out._

* * *

_“-ter! Peter, can you hear me? Kiddo?”_

_He knew that voice. It was soft and gentle and fatherly and… and so incredibly_ worried.

_He tried to open his eyes, to reach out, to_ comfort _Tony. He couldn’t bear to hear him this worried._

_Finally, his eyes fluttered open, and he heard a relieved sigh. “Kid! Hey, I’m here.”_

_He focused, and Tony’s smile became clear and he tried to smile back; he didn’t know if he succeeded, but Tony was hugging him so tightly and he was_ tired _and now he’s crying and oh my God._

_“M-Mr. Stark!” He wailed, clutching at Tony like he might disintegrate again. Who knows, he might. “Mr. Stark.”_

_“Shh, kiddo,” Tony was cradling his head and running his hands through his dirty hair. “I’m here, baby. I’ve got you. You’re not going anywhere.”_

_He believed him. He held Tony until his tears dried and he could speak again, “You saved me, Mr. Stark. I knew you would.”_

_Tony pulled back to smirk at him, “Of course, I did, Spider-boy. Can’t leave New York City without her favorite web-slinger for long, now can we?”_

_He giggled, easing some muscles that he didn’t realize were taut. Tony pulled him up to his feet and led him into a spaceship where all the others were. “Dr. Strange!” He called to the man once he saw him, leaning back against the wall, with blankets around him and a steaming cup in his hands._

_The doctor smiled, “How are you feeling, Peter?”_

_He smiled back, glancing up at Tony to share the smile with him, “A lot better, thanks.”_

_Strange nodded and took a sip of his drink, “You’re lucky, Tony. He’s the best anyone could ask for.”_

_Tony tightened his hold on Peter’s shoulder, nodding proudly, “I know.”_

_Strange nodded one last time before Tony led them downstairs to a little room with two bunk beds. He handed Peter a stack of new clothes and helped him get out of his suit._

_“Lay down, buddy. You need to rest.”_

_“But...!” Peter’s eyes widened, and he reached out to Tony. “Don’t—don’t go, please.”_

_Tony smiled softly, “I won’t. I promise.”_

_Peter relaxed and slipped under the bedsheets. Tony motioned for him to scoot over and he did so happily, the older man laid down beside him and held him as they both drifted off to a well-deserved sleep._

* * *

_The spaceship barely landed next to the compound before both Tony and Peter bolted out and got into the nearest car. Tony drove like he never did before, heading unbelievably fast towards Queens while still making sure not to hit anybody._

_As soon as they parked, they bolted again and headed up the apartment building. As Peter was nervously clutching his hands, Tony laid a soft hand on his shoulder and started talking to ease the tension he was feeling._

_“So, I bought the tower back. Pep and I are living here now, better than that big, empty compound. You and May are moving in ASAP, by the way. I won’t take no for an answer, so don’t give me that face. I already talked to her and she said yes. Ye—of course I talked to May! Who do you think kept me sane all this time? Well, other than Pepper obviously—"_

_He cut himself off as they arrived in front of the apartment and found themselves greeted by yellow police tape. There were officers and detectives walking in, inside, looking into the packed boxes and taking pictures of the covered-up furniture._

_Peter’s breath caught in his throat and he made a little whimpering sound. Tony turned sharply to the nearest officer, “Wh—what the fuck is going on?”_

_She bent under the police tape. Before she started to explain, though, Peter gasped, “I know what this is… they’re s-searching the place! Sh-she’s d-dead, too, is-isn’t she?” His voice was breaking, and his eyes were filled with unshed tears._ He knows because the same thing happened when Ben died, _Tony realized with a start. He looked at the officer for confirmation._

_A little more of Tony’s heart broke as the officer nodded. “I’m really sorry. She was walking back here when a car hit her this morning. I really don’t want to do this, but i’ll have to ask you some questions.”_

_Tony brushed her off. “No. He was… uh, lost, in the War. He just came back. And I was in space. We don’t know anything.”_

_The officer pursed her lips and nodded, walking back into the apartment._

_Tony turned back to Peter. His tears were flowing down his cheeks and his breaths were short and shallow. He put his arms around the boy and held him close, rubbing circles on his back and murmuring softly in his ears._

_“Wh-why is everything in boxes?” He whispered after what felt like an hour but must’ve been less than twenty minutes._

_“She was getting ready to move in into the tower. All that’s left is the kitchen. We’ve already moved everything,” Tony explained softly._

_“Oh.” He felt Peter close his eyes and he hugged Tony a bit tighter. “Can we go now?”_

_“Of course, buddy. C’mon.” He led Peter down the stairs and let him lay down on the backseat of the car. He wanted to sit there with him, calm him down and wipe away the tears that began to fall again, but he had to drive. He comforted himself, though, with driving so much faster, arriving at the tower in two minutes flat, and carrying Peter up to his new room._

* * *

He… couldn’t feel anything.

He woke up in the middle of the night after having that same dream, the one that summarized the last few days of his life, and left him even more numb than before.

He turned his head to look at the time. 3:46 AM. Not worth waking up... As if he was going to get up anyway. He flopped to the other side and went back to sleep.

* * *

 

He sighed. It’s been around four days since _That Day_ , and he still didn’t feel a single thing. At least he was in the kitchen now. Slowly slurping at tasteless cereal.

The will reading was yesterday. He didn’t want to go, and Tony didn’t force him.

After he came back though, Tony sat next to his head and told him all about it. He raked his hand through Peter’s hair as he told him that May had left everything to him, and that she didn’t want them to hold a funeral for her.

_Peter furrowed his eyebrows, “Why?”_

_Tony shrugged, “I don’t know. The will said that she had personal reasons.”_

Peter had hummed after that and didn’t bring it up again. Not like he was talking, anyway. He thought about it sometimes, wondering why his aunt wouldn’t want a funeral. He couldn’t find a reason, but he was grateful. He didn’t want to sit with people who used to know her and talk about how great she was for hours. He knew how wonderful and amazing his aunt was; he didn’t need people reminding him of what he’s lost.

Tony placed a hand on his shoulder, and only then did he realize he was crying into his cereal. Tony bent down and placed a kiss on Peter’s head, and Peter held his waist and cried. “I miss her, Mr. Stark. I miss her so, so much!”

He cried for an hour, then fell asleep. Tony carried him to his room and laid him down on the bed. “We all miss her, Underoos. She will never be forgotten,” he whispered into Peter’s hair before kissing him again and slipping out.

* * *

 

Two days later, Pepper and Tony were helping Peter put on a ridiculously expensive black suit. It was May’s burial day, and Peter was a total mess.

He had been crying all day for the last two days, and only ever calmed down when Tony asked him to, offering him a large bowl of chocolate ice-cream and holding him while he broke down again.

Pepper was tying his tie, now. And he couldn’t help remembering how May helped him learn how to do it for last year’s homecoming. He looked up into Pepper’s eyes when she finished, and she nodded at him, enveloping him in a hug.

Tony joined their hug, and they stayed like that, in a mess of tangled bodies, until FRIDAY warned them that they’ll be late.

They were the only three there, to watch May being lowered into the ground, as she’d requested in her will. Peter sighed and looked around. There, on May’s right, laid his mother, and on May’s left were his father and his uncle.

He pulled in a shaky breath, dropping on his knees in front of May. “Thank you, May, for everything you’ve done for me. I was a horrible nephew; but you still kept me and took care of me. I’m really sorry for all the pain i’ve ever caused you. I love you so much, May.”

He stayed there, kneeling in front of her. Soon, Tony and Pepper joined him, each telling May how much they love her and how much they’ll miss her. “i’ll take care of Peter, I promise,” Tony was saying. “No harm will ever come to your nephew while I’m alive, trust me.”

Tony put an arm around Peter’s shoulders and kissed his temple. Pepper kissed the other one and wrapped the three of them in a group hug again.

“There’s something I didn’t tell you about, Pete.” Tony said, pulling away. “In her will… May wanted me to become your guardian. What do you think?”

Peter stared at him with wide eyes, “A-Are you serious?”

He nodded. “Actually,” Pepper said, “May came to us a couple of days before Tony went back to Titan to get you. She said—”

“More like threatened.”

“—That if anything happened to her, we should _adopt_ you, right away.”

Tony nodded. “I thought that it’ll be hard for you, so I didn’t tell you before. And you must know, it’s all back to you, Petey. We’ll do whatever you want.”

Tears came back to Peter’s eyes, and for the first time, not because May was dead. He hugged Tony and Pepper again, “I don’t deserve you guys.”

Tony held him close, “No you don’t, kid. You deserve so much better than me.”

“Shut up, Mr. Stark. Don’t say that again.”

“Listen to him, Tony,” Pepper said. “Don’t undervalue yourself.”

Peter pulled back, a small smile on his face for the first time in a week, “Don’t worry, Miss Potts. We’ll remind him of that every single day.”

* * *

 

Around a week later, Peter was exploring around the tower when he stumbled upon a floor that looked like an exact replica of his old apartment.

All the rooms were exactly like the ones in Queens. The kitchen, that was obviously new but still managed to look like half a dozen meal had exploded in it, pulled a chuckle out of him. He smiled at the living room and the couch with that soft blanket draped over as it reminded him of all the times he and May had cuddled and watched movies; they used to love Disney movies, _it leaves a good feeling in your soul_ , May used to say.

Then, he turned to his ‘old’ room. Unlike the kitchen and living room, his room was bare except for his old furniture. He sighed, imagining all of his stuff from upstairs thrown around here haphazardly. With another soft smile, he headed to May’s room.

He inhaled a shaky breath before turning the doorknob. He was greeted with the smell of May. That weird indescribable smell that never left her; like a signature. Like the motor oil that he could smell from Tony even when he wore his most expensive suit. Like the wafts of vanilla that came whenever he hugged Pepper. Like the smell of cardboard boxes that stuck with Ned from all the Lego boxes he owns.

Her stuff were all over the room. Some of them tidy, like her novels and work clothes. Some of them thrown around carelessly, like her casual clothes. A chuckle escaped him at the familiarity of the place and he threw himself to her bed, burying his face into one of her shirts.

Meanwhile, Tony was up in his workshop fixing Dum-E’s ‘hand’. The robot managed to twist it and break some wires while he extinguished yet another nonexistent fire. Pepper was sitting there with them, watching her soon-to-be-husband working, for lack of other things to do.

“ _Et viola_!” Tony finished up and pat Dum-E, sending him off. “See,” he turned to Pepper, “There’s nothing easier than putting new wires and fixing a robot. Why can’t children be this simple?”

Pepper pursed her lips. “Because kids aren’t machines, Tony,” she said softly. “You know that.”

He sighed, “I know, it’s just… I’m worried about him, Pep. He never talks and barely gets up in the morning and he looks so _tired_. I want to help him, Pepper, but I don’t know how.”

She walked over to him and put a hand on his cheek, “I know, honey. I’m worried about him, too, but we’re doing our best. We have to give him some time.”

Tony nodded. He pressed a kiss on her hand, “Thank you, Pep. I love you, baby.”

Pepper smiled, “I know. I love you, too.”

FRIDAY interrupted them suddenly, “Boss, Peter is crying in the Apartment.”

Tony and Pepper both snapped into action, hurrying into the elevator to check on their boy. “He must’ve been exploring around or something,” Pepper reasoned. “He must’ve gotten into May’s room.”

“Oh, Pete.” Tony sighed, “I wish I could bring her back.”

Pepper squeezed his shoulder. “We all do, Tones. The best we can do now is take care of her nephew.”

“Yes. We sure as hell will.”

Peter looked up as his guardians burst into the room.

“Peter!” Pepper gasped, “Are you okay, sweetheart?”

Peter frowned. Only then did he feel tear tracks on his cheeks, he must’ve been crying unconsciously again. “Y-yeah, I’m good. I didn’t realize I was crying.”

Tony smiled at him as both he and Pepper sat next to him on the bed. “You look so much better than yesterday,” he observed.

Peter smiled, “I had a dream. Mom, Dad, Uncle Ben and Aunt May were all sitting at a table telling stories of me when I was a kid. Then Aunt May threatened to come back to life and kill me with her bare hands if I didn’t cheer up.”

Tony’s jaw dropped open. “Well! _Someone_ has their third eye open!”

Pepper laughed and kissed Peter’s cheek, “That’s beautiful, honey.”

Peter didn’t really know what to say, so he just smiled at them. “I still miss her, though,” he said after a while of silence. “I miss all of them.”

“They’d want you to carry on and live happily, Pete.” Tony ruffled his curls.

Peter nodded. “So, are you guys doing anything tonight? I didn’t interrupt something, did I?!”

Pepper shook her head, “No. Tony’s finished fixing Dum-E up, and I was thinking of making cookies, what do you think?”

His smile widened, “I love cookies!”

“Great!” Tony jumped off the bed and pulled them up with him. “To the kitchen, let’s go!”

* * *

 

That night, laughing in the kitchen with Tony and Pepper, Peter felt happy for the first time since May died more than two weeks ago. His chest still ached at thinking that she won’t be able to join them anymore, and that she’ll miss his graduation, sending him off to college, his first job, his wedding day… but he still smiled, because he knew that somewhere, she was watching him, and taking care of him, along with his parents and uncle.

Knowing that and keeping it safe and strong inside of his heart, Peter let himself laugh and enjoy life again.

* * *

 

Next day, Peter was still exploring around the tower when he found Tony in one of the smaller workshops.

“Hey, Mr. Stark!” Peter called as he walked in.

“Hi, kiddo,” Tony called back. He waved for Peter to join him in tinkering with FRIDAY’s programming.

“Why’re you doing this again?” Peter asked after he watched him just go over the codes and not change anything.

Tony shut the programming and turned to Peter. “Cause Pep kicked me out of the living room and I have nothing else to do. Surprise, surprise! Oh, God, I never thought I’d say this in my life!” He looked horrified at not having anything to do.

Peter raised his eyebrows, “Why would Miss Potts kick you out?”

“Cause she’s watching Say Yes to The Dress to get ideas,” He rolled his eyes. “You’re not allowed there either.”

Peter’s eyes widened. “I totally forgot that you’re getting married in two weeks.”

Tony glared at him playfully, “What? Peter, you’re my best man!”

“No, Colonel Rhodes is. By the way, when will I meet him?”

“At the wedding,” Tony shrugged.

“Do you think he’ll like me?”

“Do you think I’m Iron Man? Of course, he will, Pete.” Tony ruffled Peter’s curls. “And if he didn’t, I might have to fire some shots.”

“ _Mr. Stark_!” Peter shrieked, “He’s your best friend!”

“And you’re my son.” Tony shrugged with a smile.

Peter raised a finger, “Not yet, you’ll adopt me after the wedding.”

“Same thing. Besides, you don’t really think I’ll hurt him, do you?”

“No. Let’s eat ice cream?”

“Yeah.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *gasp * Another chapter!
> 
> Please enjoy!

Peter got out of the car. He followed Tony, who was wearing an over-sized hoodie and dark sunglasses to hide his face, into a small ice cream shop. Once inside, Tony took off his ‘disguise’.

“Aren’t you worried someone might recognize you here?” Peter asked, glancing around the semi-empty shop. Nobody has noticed them standing by the door, yet. But, Peter knew they would, eventually, and it’ll probably be messy.

Tony smiled, “Don’t worry, kiddo. They know me here. It’s kinda my refuge place.” He confirmed his statement by waving to the barista.

“Hello, Stark,” the man behind the counter said. “Who’s the kid?”

“Hey, Rick, long time no see.” Tony shook the man’s hand, then he put a hand around Peter’s shoulders. “This is Peter, my son. Pete, Rick Ronald, owner of the best ice cream place in NYC.” Peter blushed; this is the first time Tony called him his ‘son’. _It’ll be a nice thing, getting used to it_ , he thought.

Rick laughed, the skin around his eyes wrinkled, like it was laughing too. “I’m sure that’s an exaggeration, Tony.” He held out his hand for Peter, “Nice to meet you, Peter.”

“Nice to meet you too, Mr. Ronald.”

“So, the usual?” He asked Tony.

“Yep.” Tony popped his ‘p’. “Two Starks with one black coffee.”

“Be right there,” Rick nodded as he punched the order into the screen in front of him.

Tony led Peter to one of the empty tables. “You okay, kid?”

“Yeah, I was just wondering… why did we come here? I mean, we have lots of ice cream at home.” Peter was frowning a little.

“I just like it,” Tony said. He smiled at Rick when he brought over their order. “Plus, I wanna tell you something.”

“Something that you can’t say at home?”

“No, I can say anything, anywhere, kid. I just like it here, like I said.”

*****

“Miss Potts is _what_?”

Tony rolled the hazelnut chunk in his mouth before crunching into it, “Pregnant, I just said so.”

Peter sputtered and stuttered, “But—wha—? Since when?”

“Two months, apparently,” Tony shrugged. He popped another bite of Stark’s Raving Hazelnuts ice cream in his mouth. He had only two spoonful’s left in his cup, so he prepared himself to get up and get another scoop.

He knew Peter’s eyes were wide, but when Tony looked up and met them, they were _glowing_ , too. Tony narrowed his eyes, “Are you _crying_?”

Peter blinked three times and wiped at his eyes, “Of course I am, Mr. Stark! You’re going to become a dad! Why are you _not_ crying?”

Tony laughed. This little adorkable cupcake of sunshine rays will be the death of him, he’s sure. And he’s gonna enjoy every last second of it, too. “I cried plenty when she first told me, so I’m kinda dry right now,” he said. He stood up and grabbed Peter’s empty cup and went towards the counter. When he came back, two minutes later, with full cups, he was frowning.

“What do you mean I’m going to _become_ a dad?” He passed Peter’s cup to him and sat down. “I’m already a dad, aren’t I?”

Peter finished half of his ice cream before answering, “Well, yeah… I guess.”

“Oh, you guess? Tell me again, who signed those adoption papers this morning?”

“We did,” Peter raised his spoon, “But that’s not gonna be done until next month, maybe even longer. You’re not my dad, legally.”

“Keyword: _legally_.”

*****

On The Next Day

*****

Peter sat on his bed and sighed. Spider-Man’s suit was in his hands, and he was wondering whether he should put it on or not.

He hasn’t put it on since Tony brought him back from Titan. He’d been… busy, in the last month; mourning May’s death and being generally inactive. Now that his emotions are a little better, he thought that maybe he should head out as Spider-Man again. Also, now that it’s been more than a month since the people that had turned to dust came back, criminals were going back to their plans, and according to the news, muggings were back in Queens, and people are wondering where Spidey is.

On the other hand, holding the suit now made memories rush at him with incredible amounts of hurt attached… the Vulture, The War, Titan, Thanos… He sighed again, maybe Spider-Man shouldn’t go out after all.

Somebody knocked on his door. “Come in,” he called to Tony, probably.

He was right. Tony inched the door open and came to sit next to him. He saw the suit clutched in his hands, “Spidey’s going out tonight?”

Peter pulled his lips into a thin line, “I thought so. But maybe not anymore.”

Tony nodded. He put an arm around Peter and he leaned into him. He closed his eyes and buried his face in Tony’s shirt. He was thankful that they were a long way away from opening-a-door-that-was-mistaken-for-a-hug, he doesn’t think he’ll survive without hugs from Tony and Pepper.

That made him think of May. She always knew whenever he needed a hug or a kiss on the cheek.

Tony moved his hand through Peter’s curls, then pulled them both up. “C’mere, I want to show you something.”

Peter was frowning as he followed Tony to his office. Tony told him to sit on a couch while he got something. He rummaged through some cabinets before getting a box that was decorated with Spider-Man drawings.

“What’s this?” Peter asked as Tony sat next to him and put the box on Peter’s lap.

“This is fan mail.” Tony opened the box to reveal dozens of letters and drawings, all addressed to Spider-Man. “People sent this while you were gone. I thought you might like to see them.”

Peter’s eyes widened. The box was really big and filled to the brim with stuff from his _fans_. He opened the first letter, it was written in crayons, from a five-year-old named Sandy:

_“ ~~Deer~~ Dear Spidrman,_

_Thank yo for saving me ystrday. I love yo. ~~Plees~~ please come bak!_

  * _Sandy”_



The next was from a boy named Jason, he didn’t write how old he is, but his handwriting was good enough to put him in middle school:

_“Spider-Man,_

_You are my favorite Avenger. I don’t care that people say you aren’t a real Avenger, you’re still my hero._

_Come back to Queens. Please._

_-Jason”_

The next letter was… surprising, to say the least:

_“Dear Spider-Man,_

_This letter is from all the students of the Decathlon team that you saved last year in D.C. (Or the ones that’s left of us, at least. We’ve lost Peter and Abe.)_

_Thank you for saving our lives. We are in your debt—even Flash. You are our hero, and we can’t wait for you to come back. We know you will._

_-Midtown High’s Academic Decathlon Team”_

There was also a note attached. Written with MJ’s cursive handwriting was:

_“Hey, loser,_

_I won’t write your name in case you’re not the one who’s reading this, but I know who you are._

_You. Are. A. Fucking. Idiot!_

_I’m going to kill you, when you come back, so prepare yourself._

_And turn on your phone._

_-MJ”_

He folded her note and put it away. Tony was snickering at him over his shoulder, and he couldn’t help a blush from rising to his face.

“So, you’re in trouble, I suppose?”

Peter cleared his throat, “Um, kinda.” His voice still came out several octaves higher than he’d intended.

Tony laughed at his expression, “Well, as long as she’s trustworthy. Make sure she doesn’t tell anyone.”

Peter nodded seriously, “Of course.” Then he went back to reading the letters and looking at the drawings.

Eventually, Tony left peter to sort through his fan mail by himself. When he came back after two hours and with large mugs of hot cocoa, Peter was still in the same spot.

“What do you think?” He asked as he passed Peter his mug.

“I didn’t know people loved Spider-Man this much,” Peter mused. “I thought they all surely hate me, after everything. But even the people who don’t like me said really nice stuff.”

“That’s ‘cause you’re Queens’ little web-slinger. Of course, everyone likes you! Did you see all the merch you have?”

Peter almost dropped his mug. He snapped his head up so fast, Tony thought he must get whiplash, and stared at Tony, “I… have… _merch_?”

Tony grinned, “Yes! We should check it out the next time we’re out. Or maybe you’d want to go with your friend Ned? I’m sure he already has most of it.”

Peter’s mouth formed a perfect ‘o’ as he set down his mug on the side table. “Holy crap! I forgot all about Ned! Mr. Stark! I should call him!”

Tony smiled sympathetically at him. He thought that he’d talked to his friend earlier that week. He made a shooing motion, “Go on, then. And take your cocoa.”

Peter jumped up, then noticed that the entire contents of the box were scattered on the couch and around his feet. Before he bent down to tidy up after himself, Tony stopped him. “It’s okay, leave it. I’ll clean.”

“B-But, Mr. Stark—”

“Hey, what are parents for?” Tony smirked. “Just go, talk to your friend. Have fun.”

Peter hesitated, then smiled slowly. He started to leave, but, on a whim, he pressed a quick kiss on Tony’s head, and ran out of the room before Tony could react.

*****

He forgot his cocoa.

*****

And, needless to say, Tony was smiling like he was the happiest man in the universe and had never been sad, ever, in his life.

*****

Peter hurried to his room. He refused to let himself overthink what he’d done with Tony just now, because, it was normal, wasn’t it? He was just showing his affection for the man, who’s practically his parent. Tony said so himself.

Peter totally shouldn’t be worried. He knew that. He was just trying to convince his hyper-anxious self that only showed when he was with Tony. Or Pepper. Someone he had to prove himself to.

He calmed himself down with deep breaths as he walked up to his room, repressing a sigh as he went inside. He still couldn’t believe that this room was his, though Tony had assured him of the fact like, a hundred times just in the past two days.

He grabbed his new laptop (courtesy of Tony, of course) and made himself comfortable at his desk. He decided he’d try to video-call Ned, or text him if he didn’t pick up.

The laptop barely ringed twice before Ned answered. “Peter!” He cried as soon as he saw his face.

“Ned!” Peter doesn’t think he’s ever been happier to see his best friend. “I’m _so_ sorry I didn’t call before.”

Ned, bless his heart, shook his head, “It’s okay, I get it. Dude, you’ve been gone for a _year_!”

Peter winced, he tried to hide it, but doesn’t think he’s succeeded. He was remembering too much of Titan today. “Yeah. Maybe don’t talk about this?”

Ned bit his lip, “Sorry, dude. It’s just… we missed you a lot, all of us.”

“I missed you too, Ned,” Peter’s smile was genuine. “So, how’s it going?”

“Good. Things are returning to how they used to be,” he shrugged. “Someone tried to mug me yesterday, by the way, I thought something had happened to you when Spidey didn’t show up.”

Peter set his jaw. That settled it, then. Spider-Man is going back to the streets. “Sorry. I was… um, busy… after May. I couldn’t. But I think i’ll go out tonight.”

Ned nodded once, then frowned, scrunching his entire face, “Wait, what? Did something happen to May? I haven’t seen her since people started coming back.”

“She’s… dead, Ned. A car hit her on the day we came back. I thought you knew.”

Ned’s eyes widened, and Peter saw some tears gathering in them before Ned blinked and they disappeared. He knew Ned loved Aunt May a lot. “Peter. I’m so sorry. I— _I’m sorry_.”

Peter smiled, “Thanks.” He cleared his throat, and unsubtly changed the subject, “Hey, Mr. Stark told me that there’s Spider-Man merch? Do you wanna check it out later?”

His best friend perked up, “Sure, man. I’m coming back to NYC tomorrow. Meet you at Delmar’s, noon?”

He nodded, “Sure! You’re in Montana?”

Ned groaned, “Ugh, yeah. Thank god there’s Wi-Fi, or I’d be dead!” Peter snickered at that. Ned was as much of a city person as Peter was, and his worst nightmare was having to visit his mother’s relatives in the countryside.

They went back to their usual chatter, talking about anything and everything. It was like they’ve never been apart. But, then, that’s what best friends are for, right? To let you remember that it isn’t the end of the world, even if you’ve been gone for a year.

“Have you heard from MJ?” Peter asked after a while of talking about disgusting cows and how the last school year was cancelled.

Ned sputtered, “Uhm, yeah. I saw her before we came here. She—she knows your secret, dude. I don’t know how, but I didn’t tell her.”

Peter nodded, “I know. She sent a note with the Decathlon team’s fan letter.”

“Oh, you read that?” Ned grinned. “I didn’t think you’d actually get it.”

“Are you kidding? Mr. Stark has these big boxes full of fan mail. There’s drawings and letters and even hand-made action figures!”

“Dude, that’s _so_ _cool_! Show me!”

“Sure. I’ll send you pictures later.”

Before Ned could reply, his door opened behind him and his mother poked her head in. “Ned! I’ve been calling you for five minutes!—Oh, hi, Peter! It’s good to see you back. How are you?” She came closer and bent next to Ned to be eye-level with the laptop’s camera.

“Hi, Mrs. Leeds,” Peter waved. “I’m fine, thanks.”

She nodded, “Good. Now excuse us, Ned and I have to go to _my aunt’s farm_.” She glared at her son as she said the last part.

Ned groaned and Peter laughed at him. “Bye, Mrs. Leeds. Bye, Ned. See you tomorrow.”

“Bye, Peter,” they both replied in unison, then Mrs. Leeds reached over and hung up.

*****

Peter flopped down on his bed after hanging up with Ned. He had nothing to do. It was two in the afternoon, which meant it was still too hot to go out as Spider-Man. He supposed he could find Tony. Maybe help him in the workshop or something. “Hey, FRIDAY,” he looked up unnecessarily at the ceiling, “Where’s Mr. Stark?”

“He’s currently in a chair-board meeting,” she answered dutifully. “Miss Potts had requested that you tell her if you need anything.”

Hm, that’s his other option, seek out Pepper. “Okay. Where’s she?”

“In the kitchen. Baking a chocolate cake, I believe.”

That ended whatever argument Peter might’ve wanted to start. He liked chocolate and he liked Miss Potts. Win-win. “Thanks, FRIDAY!” He hopped off the bed and headed to the kitchen.

“Hi, Miss Potts!”

She turned to face him. Half of her face was covered in flour, and the other half looked wet and sticky with what must’ve been eggs. “Peter! Hi! How’s it going?”

“Everything’s fine, Miss Potts.” He smiled, “Um. Do you need help?”

Pepper looked down at her dirty hands and groaned. “I don’t know how I’m such a good cook, but I can’t bake to save my life,” she went over to the sink and washed her hands. “I don’t suppose you know how to make a cake?”

Peter shook his head. “I wasn’t allowed into the kitchen since I burned soup two years ago.”

Pepper’s eyes widened in amusement and she tried to hide her laugh, “You burned _soup_?”

He stuck his hands in his pockets and laughed, “Yeah, I don’t remember how. Anyways, May used to use Betty Crocker’s readymade cake packets, instead of burning the kitchen.”

Pepper clapped, “That’s it! Thank you, Pete. I’ll go buy one, now. Do you wanna come?”

“Sure,” Peter shrugged. “I don’t have anything to do.”

They cleaned the kitchen, first. Peter took the-now-half-empty box of flour back to the pantry, while Pepper wiped the countertops and made sure there’s no more egg remains. She glanced at the full sink and groaned, “I hate doing dishes.”

Peter came back from putting the sugar and baking powder in their places. “I’ll help,” he volunteered.

Pepper smiled at him gratefully, “Thanks. Let’s get it over with.”

They both pushed up their sleeves and faced the sink. Pepper repressed another groan before grabbing a sponge and a cup, “I’ll rinse, you put them in the dishwasher.”

Peter opened the dishwasher, it was half-full, so he was welcomed by the stink of dirty dishes. “Yes, ma’am,” he scrunched his nose.

Working together, they finished the job quickly. In no time, the kitchen was squeaky-clean, and Pepper went to grab her purse. Peter laughed, when she came back. Despite her ‘disguise’ of a Yankee’s cap, huge sunglasses and an oversized jacket, her bag said: ‘Tony Stark’s Wife’. “Where did that come from?!”

She grinned and called up the elevator. “It was custom made, Tony and I think it’s funny. I take it whenever I’m ‘disguised’ and count how many eyerolls I get. My high-score’s twenty in two hours.”

They went into the elevator, and FRIDAY took them down to the garage. Pepper picked the least noticeable of Tony’s cars, and they sped off to the closest Grocer’s. Peter discovered that Pepper was a fast driver, just like her fiancé. It seemed to him, that they both let out their frustrations by driving. And god knows how frustrated you get, running a company and keeping Earth safe.

He hoped that becoming their son won’t make them drive even faster.

“We’re here,” Pepper announced. They stepped out of the car and into the Grocer’s. They hurried to the back, where the cake boxes were, and Pepper grabbed six milk-chocolate ones.

Peter narrowed his eyes, “Isn’t that a little too much?”

Pepper shook her head, “I need to be well-prepared. Chocolate is a blessing.”

Peter grinned. They went to the cashier’s counter, and while Pepper paid, Peter caught at least seven eyerolls from the employees and customers. He repressed a laugh.

As they went back to the car, Peter told Pepper about the eyerolls, and they laughed heartily. Then they just talked, on the way back home, about anything that popped into their heads. Peter had never felt close to Pepper as he did right now.

Back in the kitchen, they maneuvered through the steps on the cake box. The mess they found themselves in after finishing was a lot lesser than the first one, and they cleaned the kitchen and washed the dishes faster than the last time.

After finishing, Pepper opened the oven to check on the cake that’s been inside for forty minutes. She poked it with a toothpick, and it came out clean, to her relief. “It smells amazing, doesn’t it?” She asked as she took it out and put it on the counter to cool off, covered by a towel.

Peter sniffed, “The most satisfying smell in the universe.”

Pepper grinned, eyes sparkling; and Peter was struck by how beautiful his future-adoptive-mother is. Unwarranted, he thought of May. Despite being tired and stressed, sometimes, his aunt was one of the prettiest women he’s ever seen. She became even more beautiful after she discovered he was Spider-Man, he thought. And she always said that she was proud of him for using his powers for good; she said that Ben would be proud, too. He felt a pang of heartache. He missed them so much.

Pepper must’ve noticed the change in his mood, because she placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled him in for a hug. “I’m sorry,” Peter murmured into her shoulder.

“Don’t be, honey. You have nothing to be sorry for.” She rubbed her hands in circles on his back, “Do you want to talk about it?”

He shut his eyes, “I just—I miss them too much. May and Ben.”

She kissed his temple, which was the closest to her lips. “I know, Pete. We all miss May, too.” She pulled him to the living room and sat with him on the couch. She never broke the hug, but when a tear fell out of his eye, she reached up and wiped it away.

“Thank you, Miss Potts.” He whispered after a while. He pulled back and smiled tentatively at her.

She smiled and patted his cheek, “You’re the most welcome, Peter.”

Right then, the elevator doors opened silently, and Tony stepped into the room. He pressed a hand on his chest when he saw them sitting on the couch, feigning hurt, “Gasp! You’re cuddling without me?!”

He pushed them apart and squeezed himself between them. Then he pulled them into his sides, pressing a kiss on each of their foreheads.

“Did you seriously _say_ ‘gasp’ out loud?” Pepper laughed.

“That’s how offended I was!”

“It isn’t our fault you were in a meeting,” Peter countered.

“Yeah, the most boring thing in the world, that was,” Tony groaned, dropping his head back. “Let’s watch a movie?”

Pepper smiled, “Good idea. You pick the movie, I’ll go get the cake.” Tony perked up at the mention of food, and she laughed at him before heading to the kitchen.

“So, Mr. I’ve-seen-all-the-movies-in-the-world,” Tony said to Peter. “What should we watch?”

“I dunno, how about… _Batman_?”

Tony’s eyes narrowed just as Peter knew they would. He poked Peter’s side, “I’m going to pretend that you didn’t say that, and I’m still waiting for an answer.”

Peter laughed, “Okay, how about _Sherlock Holmes_? I didn’t see that one, yet.”

Tony nodded, “ _Sherlock Holmes_ it is, then. FRIDAY, if you would?”

Pepper returned, magically carrying three plates of cake in perfect balance. She passed the plates to her fiancé and ‘son’. FRIDAY played the movie, when they got comfortable.

Barely moments into the movie, all three of them physically froze. Their jaws were slack, and they could only stare at the screen in stunned silence, until Tony finally broke it, “Am I seeing things, or does this guy look like me?”

Peter quickly grabbed his phone and Googled the movie cast. “Robert Downey, Jr.,” he said, holding up the actor’s photo. “It’s like you’re twins!”

Apparently, Tony was too shocked to speak, so Pepper smirked in his stead, “Now we know who to call, when we make an Iron Man movie.”

That snapped Tony out of his reverie, “Why would you make a movie about me?” He frowned at Pepper.

“I am personally offended,” Peter narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. “Mr. Stark, you are a hero, and a great man. Better than anyone could ever become. _None_ of the other Avengers are a match for you. Besides, you’re Miss Potts fiancé. Of course, she want to make movies about you!”

Pepper nodded, pressing a kiss on Tony’s cheek. “Listen to your kid, Tones.”

Tony’s eyes were wide, “Gosh, I don’t deserve you two.” Pepper and Peter glared at him, so he raised his hands in surrender, “Okay, I take it back. I deserve you two.”

“Right,” Peter hugged his father-figure, and Pepper made it a group hug. Tears springing to his eyes, Tony hugged them back tightly, and it was all he could do to not cry. Movie forgotten in the background, the little family was content to be in each other’s arms.

*****

That night, Pepper went to bed early, preparing for a long day of work the next day.

Peter stayed up with Tony in his workshop, and they talked about their days. Peter talked about his conversation with Ned, and that he’s going to meet him tomorrow at noon. Tony groaned when he compared the meetings he’s been in with the ‘adventures’ Peter and Pepper had while making cake.

“So, have you decided if you’ll go out tonight?” Tony asked.

“Yes, I’m going,” Peter nodded.

Tony nodded too, “Which suit are you taking?”

“My old one, I don’t think Queens needs the Iron Spider.” Peter shrugged.

“Go get it, then. Let’s make sure Karen’s up-to-date.”

Peter hurried off to his room and grabbed his suit from the hook inside his closet. Gone were the days of hiding the suit and hoping that May won’t find it.

He went back to the workshop, and after tinkering a little with Karen’s updates, Tony let Peter go, “I’ll wait up for you, so don’t be too late.”

“Okay, see you in a few.” Peter pushed open the workshop window and jumped. Without thinking about it, he shot out a web that attached itself to a nearby skyscraper. He felt free, jumping and swinging from one building to another; it was as if the last months—no, the last _year_ , hadn’t happened, and he’d never left Queens’ rooftops. He let go of whoops of excitement and happiness that made pedestrians look up, and some of them greeted him.

“HI, SPIDER-MAN!”

“Spider-Man’s back, LOOK!”

“Whoooo! Spider-Man!”

When he paused of top of a low rooftop to scan his surroundings, a boy and his father—probably—stopped in their tracks and greeted him. He jumped down in front of them and shook the father’s hand when he offered it.

“Spider-Man!” The boy exclaimed, “Did you read my letter?”

Peter grinned, not that the boy could see it because of the mask, “I’m sure I did, what’s your name?”

“Jason,” the boy answered.

_So,_ this _is Jason. He’s no older than 8! His handwriting is_ so _deceiving._ “Oh, yeah I read it! And by the way, tell your friends that I’m a real Avenger now.”

“Seriously?”

“Yep,” Peter high-fived him. “Tell them you’ve met an Avenger and he’s your friend!”

“I will!” Jason said at the same time that his father laughed. “Thank you, Spider-Man. But we have to go, now.”

“Sure, take care of yourselves.” Peter gave them another wave before jumping thirty feet in the air and swinging to the highest building nearby.

“ _Hey, Peter,_ ” Karen said, an hour of swinging later. “ _There’s a mugging happening two blocks away._ ”

“Thanks, Karen,” he hurried to where she led him, and found two skinny dudes trying to take a woman’s purse.

“Whoa, guys. That’s _not_ how you ask for dates.” He swooped in, webbing one of them up and sticking him to the wall. The other put up a fight, not that it mattered; Peter quickly and skillfully led him away from the woman and webbed him next to his friend.

“Karen, notify the police, please.”

“ _On it._ ”

“Thanks.”

He bent down and scooped up the woman’s purse, then turned to give it back to her. “Here you go, ma’am.”

She smiled widely at him, “Thank you, Spider-Man! I’m glad you’re back!”

He nodded, “Me too, take care of yourself.”

“Will do!”

 He swung away and continued his patrol. Queens was quiet, tonight, just like he wished it’ll be. Less crimes means less people getting hurt.

He climbed to a rooftop and looked around. No matter where he might go, Peter thought, the New York skyline will still be the most beautiful thing he’ll ever see.

“ _Mr. Stark is calling, Peter._ ” Karen said.

“Accept call, Karen.”

_“Hey, kid. How’s it going?”_

“Hi, Mr. Stark. Everything’s good. I stopped a mugging and I met that kid who he sent a letter, Jason.”

_“The one who said you’re his hero? Who thinks you’re an Avenger?”_

“Yep,” He popped the ‘p’. “I told him that I’m an official Avenger, now.” Peter could hear Tony rolling his eyes and shaking his head.

_“That’s right, kid, but you still need to come home, you’ve been out for… two hours and a half. I know this’s a lot less than what you’re used to, but Pep just came down and said she can’t sleep without knowing you’re here, so…”_

“I’m on my way, Mr. Stark.”

_“Good, I’m still in the workshop.”_

“Okay, bye.”

He hung up and jumped off the rooftop. Some swings and somersaults later, he was back in Manhattan and en-route to the Stark Tower. He swung into the workshop, the same way he got out. Tony was sitting on the couch, almost sleeping, but he stood up when he heard Peter inside.

“Good to know you’re still in one piece, kid.” Peter pulled off his mask and let Tony examine his face. Satisfied with the lack of bruises, Tony put an arm around Peter’s shoulders and led them out of the workshop. FRIDAY locked up after them.

They stopped in the hallway, between Tony’s and Peter’s room. “Alright, kid. Off to bed.”

“G’night, Mr. Stark.”

“Night, kid.” Tony ruffled Peter’s hair. Peter went into his room and waved childishly at Tony before closing his door.

*****

_They came at him from all sides. There were hundreds of them, maybe more, he’s probably lost count… they were all huge and purple and smirking like the psychos they are._

_Then they started laughing, as they approached him. Dark and loud and disgusting were the laughs, and they didn’t stop._

_He tried to run away, but he couldn’t. Weird… he doesn’t feel hurt... Why wouldn’t he move? He looked down at himself, he was wearing his new suit, the Iron Spider, that Tony had given him when he snuck onto that spaceship… but it was covered in something, something like an orangey haze._

_Just as if he was back in the Soul Stone._

_He tried to move again, but the mist was holding him back. His eyes trailed helplessly up to stare at the giants that were now right in front of him._

_He wanted to panic. To scream. To cry. To ask for help. But his mouth won’t move._

_Then, the monsters all seemed to melt and gather into one huge pool of disgustingly purple goo. Then the goo formed itself into a humongous, but no less terrifying, version of Thanos._

_Thanos laughed and stabbed him._

_And he was plunged into darkness._


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's muse came back to her? :)
> 
> P.S this is un-beta'd, so i'm sorry for any spelling mistakes.

Peter woke up with a gasp and a barely muffled scream. He bolted to his bathroom and splashed cold water on his face and arms, getting rid of some of the sweat that covered his entire body.

He looked up and stared at his reflection in the mirror. His eyes were wide, and his pupils blown in horror, his mouth was hanging open, ragged breaths puffing out of it, his cheeks were flushed red and he was visibly shaking.

It had been so long since he last had a nightmare, he almost forgot what it felt like. But seeing Thanos once again was too unsettling, unlike his usual nightmares, that it didn’t matter if he remembered the feeling or not. This was a whole new level of scary; just thinking about it made tears spring to his eyes.

But still, he knew he’ll have to face it, sooner rather than later, or it will come back and haunt him again. He pulled in the deepest breath he could manage and splattered more cold water on himself for good measure. He eyed his shower uncertainly, then decided he was too tired to bother and headed back to bed.

He stood at its foot for a moment before deciding against it. He bent under it to grab a red notebook, then went and sat on his desk.

“C’mon, Peter, you can do this,” he encouraged himself. He hadn’t opened this notebook since so long, but he knew he needed to, so he braced himself and flopped it open to a blank page.

Then he grabbed a blue ballpoint pen and wrote down every detail he remembered of his nightmare.

* * *

 

That morning, Peter stumbled to the kitchen/living room at eight, still half-asleep, with dark bags under his bleary eyes. He knew he could sleep more, if he wanted, but he didn’t want to worry Tony and Pepper. Tony was sitting at the kitchen table, nursing a mug of black coffee and looking miserable.

“Are you okay, Mr. Stark?” He asked as he busied himself with preparing a mug of coffee—considerably lighter than Mr. Stark’s. He downed half of it in one go, ignoring his scalded throat, just so he could feel a little less like death on legs and more like a person who’s slept at _some_ point in their life.

 Pepper looked up from her laptop in the living room part of the large, open space. “Hi, Peter. Don’t worry about him, he just has a board of investors meeting at Stark Industries.”

Tony looked like he’d rather go to literally anywhere else. “I don’t get it,” he said, almost like a whine, looking up from his coffee and turning to his fiancée. “What’s the point of making you CEO, if I’m still going to these dumb meetings?”

Pepper laughed, she came to sit next to Tony, opposite Peter, and kissed her fiancé’s cheek. “Don’t worry, dear, the wedding’s next week.”

Tony grinned at her fondly and leaned over to press a kiss on her lips.

Peter looked away, “Hey, guys, impressionable youth still here.”

Tony waved his hand dismissively towards Peter, not breaking the kiss. Peter huffed, waiting for them to finish. When they did pull away from each other, Pepper’s cheeks were flushed red and her lips were a little swollen. She looked a little dazed, too. Tony was grinning proudly, as if he was happy that he’s the one that caused Pepper to look like this.

“Finished, yet?”

Pepper shook herself and blushed further, looking at Peter. “I’m sorry, Pe—wait, are you okay?!”

Tony looked over and narrowed his eyes. “Peter. What’s with those dark circles ‘round your eyes?”

Peter blushed. Trust his guardians to notice that he’s looking a little differently when they’re fresh out of a make out session.

“It’s nothing. I just didn’t sleep well last night,” he said, not lying, but not telling the whole truth either.

Tony narrowed his eyes even more and Pepper looked seriously worried. “Why?” She asked.

Peter panicked and quickly stuffed his mouth with one of the cookies that were on the table. He looked away from their faces and tried to think of a good enough excuse. He didn’t want to tell them about his nightmare, and he didn’t want them to be suspicious of him either. He caught sight of Pepper’s engagement ring glinting in the sunlight, “I was just thinking about your wedding. It’s really close now.”

Tony snorted, visibly relaxing. “What, you’re nervous about wearing a tux, kid?”

Actually, now that Tony reminded him… “Of course, I am!”

Pepper smiled, “Don’t worry about it, Peter. You’re going to be great, I know it.”

He gave her a slightly pinched smile, “I hope so, Miss Potts.”

“We have to do a thing about this, by the way,” Tony said. “We’re going to be your legal parents in, what, two weeks? You can’t call us Mr. Stark and Miss Potts.”

Peter smirked bravely, though he didn’t feel it. “Okay, then. Mom and Dad.” He’d wanted to call them that for so long, and he was glad that Tony brought up the subject. It would be nice to not stop himself from doing it in his head, and also actually say it out loud. He hadn’t had parents for over ten years, and he wanted to have the feeling back. Of course, he’d had Ben and May, but it was different. They’d always been only his aunt and uncle, not daring to even come close to replacing his real parents. Not that Tony and Pepper will replace them—Mary and Richard Parker are and always will be Peter’s parents, but… well, it’s complicated. Anyway, he really wants to call Tony and Pepper Mom and Dad.

But Tony’s wide eyes and Pepper’s gasp freaked him out. He’d hoped that they wanted him to call them that. They looked like they wanted it, always joking about being his parents… but was that all it was? A joke? Is it possible that they’d become mad at him for calling them that?

A tear streaked down Tony’s cheek and Peter froze. He didn’t know what to think anymore. He felt like that time two years ago when Tony took his suit and left him, alone and scared. His heart was hammering in his chest, but he tried not to show it. He was so, _so_ worried right now.

Tony slowly blinked and lifted a hand to wipe his cheek. Pepper gave a wet smile and… _wait. Smile?_

“Oh, Peter! This is the best feeling in the world!”

Tony smiled, too, “You just added ten years to my life, kid!”

Peter let out a nervous, half-choked laugh that actually came out as a cough. _They’re actually happy about it!_ He could _sing_ right now! His face broke into a grin and he started chanting, “Mom and Dad, Mom and Dad, Mom and Dad...”

Pepper laughed heartily. Tony soon joined her, and then Peter did, too. They were a little happy _family_.

“We love you, Peter, you know that?” Pepper said after they stopped laughing.

Peter stood up and kneeled in between their chairs, pulling them into a tight group hug. “Yeah, I know. I love you, too.”

* * *

 

At eleven-thirty, Mr. Stark— _Dad_ —who’d just came back from his meeting, drove Peter to Mr. Delmar’s supermarket to meet Ned. He ruffled Peter’s hair and smiled at him, “Okay, kid, here we are. Do you need anything?”

Peter shook his head, “Nope. Thanks, Dad.”

Dad grinned widely. “All right! So, when should I pick you up?”

“I dunno,” Peter shrugged. “I think we’re gonna go to Toys-R-Us, two blocks away, then… maybe walk around? I’ll call you when we finish?”

“Yeah, good idea. Do you want money?”

Peter opened his mouth to say ‘no’ but clamped it shut and frowned, did he have money? He twisted in his seat and took out his wallet from his back pocket—it was basically empty, unless he wanted to buy something from _Toys-R-Us_ with these crumpled five dollars.

He blushed and looked up and into Dad’s eyes. Dad smirked at him and grabbed his own wallet from the top of the dashboard. “You know, I usually don’t carry money when I go out,” he said, then proceeded to get a huge wad of cash from the wallet that had Peter’s eyes bulging out in surprise. “But, Pe— _your Mom_ made me bring this.” He looked at Peter’s expression and laughed softly, “A bit much, huh?”

Peter nodded frantically. Dad laughed again, he picked out a hundred-dollar bill from the wad and handed it to Peter, returning the rest to the wallet. Peter held the bill between his fingers and stared at it. He turned back to Dad, “Are you sure? I’ll probably lose it on the way, or something. Just thirty is enough.”

“Nah, I’m sure you won’t. Besides, my wedding is next week, I expect you to get me something.”

Peter tilted his head, “You know I already got you something with Happy four days ago.”

Dad rolled his eyes affectionately, “I’m messing with you, Pete. But I’m serious, take the hundred, buy something for your girlfriend, what’s-her-name.”

“Michelle, and she’s _not my girlfriend_. We talked about this already!”

Dad just grinned. Peter huffed and opened his door. “I’m going to waste it on ice-cream,” he called as he got out.

“As long as you don’t make yourself sick!” Dad called back.

Peter smiled and waved as he backed the car away and sped off. As he stuffed the bill in his wallet, what happened this morning seemed to hit him all at once like a speeding train and he almost whooped in the middle of the pavement. _I can’t wait to tell Ned! He’s going to freak out!_

Peter turned on his heel and went into the supermarket. After those criminals wreaked his deli, Mr. Delmar opened this supermarket-plus-cafeteria with the help of a donation in the name of Spider-Man (Peter had begged Dad for that for five whole days, then discovered that he had already made the donation on the first day.)

Peter headed to the cafeteria, in the back. Mr. Delmar usually stayed there, and that’s where he and Ned had agreed to meet.

“Hi, Mr. Delmar,” Peter greeted when the man appeared behind the counter.

“Hiya, Parker. The usual?”

“Yes, please.” Peter smiled thankfully.

Mr. Delmar passed his order onto the man next to him then paused suddenly. He looked at Peter and sighed. “Kid, I—I heard about May. I’m so sorry.”

Peter blinked. He didn’t know how Mr. Delmar had known… maybe one of May’s friends told him. “Thanks, Mr. Delmar.”

Mr. Delmar’s lips twitched, “It’s really unfair for you. How are you holding up? I heard you’re living with somebody?”

“Yeah. Uh, it’s… it’s actually Tony Stark, you know. I’m living with Mr. Stark.”

Mr. Delmar’s eyebrows shot up. “Are you?” He asked, not disbelieving, per se, but highly suspicious.

“Yes.” Peter replied, “He’s adopted me, too.”

Mr. Delmar’s jaw fell. He blinked twice then grinned at Peter, “Good for you, kid!”

“Thanks!”

The cafeteria worker handed Peter his sandwich, and Peter thanked him, handing Mr. Delmar the five dollars he had had originally in his wallet. Mr. Delmar waved at him, and Peter walked off to look for Ned.

He found him sitting in the other side of the cafeteria, with MJ. “Ned, MJ, hey!”

“Peter!” Ned waved at him.

“Dumbass!” MJ said, hitting his arm. “Why do you always do stuff like this?”

“I missed you, too, MJ. I would’ve called you before if you gave me your number, you know.”

“I guess. I’ll give you later.”

Peter rolled his eyes and joined his friends at the table. “No, seriously, I missed you guys so bad.”

Ned smiled at him, “We missed you, too. Anyway, did you bring it?”

“Bring what?” MJ asked, taking a fry from Ned’s plate even though she had a lot in her own plate.

“An action-figure,” Ned replied. “A fan sent it to him.”

MJ raised her eyebrows as Peter took out the poor action figure from his pocket. It had been in a box for more than a year, stuffed under hundreds of drawings and letters, so its condition wasn’t the best. It was made of Play-Doh, though, so it was fixable, at least.

Ned held it and turned it over in his hands, checking it from every side. When he turned it upside down, the head fell off. “Holy shit! Peter, I’m sorry!”

Peter swallowed the bite he’d just taken, “It’s alright, dude. Always happens.” He set it back on the toothpick neck.

“Here,” MJ handed him two toothpicks. “It’ll hold if you add these.”

“Thanks, MJ.” Peter said as Ned took the picks and fixed the head properly.

“It’s really good, though,” Ned remarked. “Who made it?”

Peter shrugged, “Anonymous.”

“What did you expect, really?” MJ said, standing up. “Are we going to buy toys, or not?”

They quickly followed her out of the supermarket, yelling goodbyes to Mr. Delmar on their way. En route to the toy store, they talked about everything—except the Snap, Titan, the Stone and May—until they couldn’t find anything else to talk about.

“So, um, do want to talk about _it_?” Ned asked timidly when they were almost to Toys-R-Us.

“Which ‘it’?” Peter asked.

“Dunno,” Ned shrugged. “Any one.”

Peter sighed. He didn’t know what to say if they started talking about May, so he didn’t bring her up in the last hour, and he wasn’t going to bring her up now. He might’ve started talking about Titan or the Stone, but not after yesterday’s nightmare, he doesn’t want to think about any of that again.

“No.” He said shortly. Then he added, after a pause, “Ever.”

MJ nodded. “Okay, good,” Ned patted his shoulder and Peter smiled at him.

When they entered the toy store, they separated and agreed to meet fifteen minutes later. When they did, Peter had looked through lots of Lego sets, but didn’t pick anything to buy. Ned came back with three plastic Spider-Man masks, and they bribed a worker to take pictures of them with the masks on. MJ had a Spider-Man photo frame in her hand that she forced Peter to buy, saying that he should print the pictures they just took and frame the best one.

“Fine,” Peter finally agreed, after arguing with her and Ned—the traitor had taken MJ’s side—for ten minutes. “ _Only_ if you two buy one each, too.”

MJ huffed, but relented. Ned shrugged like he was going to do that whether Peter asked him to or not.

After paying and leaving, Peter invited his friends to ice-cream, spending most of his remaining money on the most expensive and ridiculous combos. He, Ned and MJ had fun trying all kinds of weird flavors, except ketchup, because “ _That_ is just stupid _,_ ” as MJ said.

At around four, Ned’s parents called and came to pick him up, taking MJ with them to drop her off on their way. Peter waved goodbye to his friends and went back into the ice-cream parlor to call Dad.

“ _Hey, kid, all finished?_ ”

“Yep!”

“ _Alright, I’m on my way. Where are you?_ ”

“Mr. Ronald’s ice-cream shop.”

“ _Okay, I’ll be there in a minute. Say hi to Rick for me._ ”

“Okay. See you, Dad.”

Peter hung up and went to the counter. “Hey, Peter.” Mr. Ronald smiled kindly at him. “Another one?”

Peter laughed, “No, thanks, I’m so full! I came to tell you that Dad says hi.”

Rick laughed, “Alright. Tell him to come and say it himself next time.”

“Okay,” Peter smiled. He heard a car honk outside and left, waving at Mr. Ronald one last time by the door.

He walked out and found Dad’s car, he quickly slipped in and gave his Dad a big grin.

He laughed, backing the car up and speeding towards the tower, “I take it you had a good afternoon?”

“It was awesome! And—oh, no, I forgot to invite them to the wedding! And tell them about the adoption! But now I’m _exhausted_.”

Dad nodded. “You deserve a nap, especially after not sleeping well last night. Just call them tonight. MJ gave you her number finally?”

Peter nodded at him, he leaned his head on the window and almost dozed off. When they got into their apartment at the top of the tower, Peter ran to his room and collapsed on his bed.

Dad stood by the door and laughed, “Sleep well, kid. I’ll wake you up when Pep comes home.”

“Okay,” Peter replied, but it was muffled with both sleepiness and his pillow, so it came out like more of a hum.

Peter thought that Dad had left before he said offhandedly, “Oh, by the way, you’re going to meet Rhodey in two days.”

Peter took a few minutes to comprehend that, through which Dad left, shutting the door behind him.

When Peter finally grasped what Dad said, he shot up from his bed so quickly he almost got whiplash, “ _WHAT?!_ ”


	4. Chapter 4

Peter startled awake at midnight. His room was dark and quiet, unlike the sight he’d just seen in his nightmare, and it calmed him down a lot. He sighed, sitting up and dropping his head in hands, and wondered briefly why Dad didn’t wake him up earlier like he said he would. But then he remembered vaguely hearing banging noises and figured that Dad _had_ tried to wake him up, but he must’ve been too tired then.

Quietly, he asked FRIDAY to turn up the lights slightly, and he slipped out of his bed. He grabbed his notebook from under the bed and hastily scribbled down the details of his last run-in with dream-Thanos.

When he looked back at his bedside clock, he found that it was only a little after one o’clock, and seeing as he’s widely awake—that’s what sleeping at four thirty in the afternoon does to a person—he decided that he could do with a warm shower.

Peter groaned as muscles he didn’t know were tight relaxed under the stream of warm/bordering-on-hot water. He spent a few seconds just enjoying the feeling, “Hey, FRI, mind queueing one of my playlists?”

“Of course not, Mini Boss,” she replied in an amused tone before High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco blared from the in-shower speakers. Peter relaxed even further, finally reaching away from the jet of water to start shampooing his hair.

Seven songs and a lot of dancing and almost slipping later, Peter dried himself and dressed in the softest and warmest pieces of clothes he had—i.e. one of Dad’s old MIT sweatshirts that he’d stolen long ago, and the hello kitty pants that were oddly comforting.

He glared all over his room, looking for something to do. It was still very early and he knew he couldn’t go back to sleep. He caught sight of his phone thrown haphazardly on the floor by his bed and remembered that he still hasn’t told Ned or MJ _anything_. So, he passed his time by thinking of elaborate ways to break the news to them.

When he finished, his head was pounding and he was hitting it on the wall in a show of helplessness.

He settled on sending them both a long text, explaining how much of an idiot he is, inviting them to the _wedding of the decade_ (as dubbed by the media), and telling them that in two weeks, he will no longer be just Peter Benjamin Parker, but Peter Benjamin Parker _Stark_.

He winced at the sight of the block of words on the group-chat screen. He was sure that MJ would probably block him now, even though he only got her number yesterday, and he was not ready to deal with an angry MJ. How they even became such good friends he still couldn’t understand.

(It probably has something to do with how she’s so much of a soft nerd under her hard, dark, un-caring façade. Also, she likes The Good Place, so.)

Ned, on the other hand, would send a flurry of shocked emojis and then start geeking about the whole thing, complaining about what he’ll wear to the wedding, harassing Peter to give him the deets of being a Stark, and just generally being so happy and excited.

Peter knows, because that’s what he would’ve done. And that’s why he and Ned are such a great match.

-

Rhodey stepped out of the elevator with a frown on his face. He scanned his surroundings for one Tony Stark, and his frown deepened when he didn’t find him. “ _TONY_ ,” he yelled.

He crossed his arms and tapped his foot furiously, looking around him for a sign of his best friend. _Why does he bother with inviting me if he isn’t gonna show up?_ He thought angrily.

“Rhodey!” he suddenly heard. He swiveled around and came face-to-face with Tony. He was grinning widely, and he looked so much happier that Rhodey has ever seen him look. Rhodey blinked, feeling the anger that he had just moments ago evaporate. Tony put his arm around Rhodey’s shoulders—which was a little hard for him, seeing as he’s so short and all—usually Rhodey comments on this, but now he didn’t. He didn’t want to ruin Tony’s good mood.

“So, Tones,” he asked as Tony led him towards the stairs. “What’s this whole thing about?”

“It’s a surprise! An amazing surprise,” Tony answered mysteriously.

“An a—Tony I swear to God, if you shove a marriage contract in my face and tell me that you and Pepper eloped I’m going to choke you with my bare hands!”

Tony stopped, his brows knitted, “ _What?_ Where did you even get that idea from?”

Rhodey sighed, relaxing a little. “Really, Tony, I expect everything from you. So, what the hell is this, then?”

Tony’s grin returned, “You’ll see!”

He took him to the guest room that was opposite Tony’s bedroom. Rhodey was a bit confused, because no one ever used this room. It used to be Pepper’s, but then she moved into Tony’s permanently, and as far as Rhodey knew, it was empty and locked.

He turned to Tony, “This doesn’t make sense. Did Pepper move back here? Why are you happy?”

Tony rolled his eyes, “Seriously, Rhodes! Of course, Pep didn’t move out! Just open the door and you’ll see!”

Rhodey was seconds away from killing Tony. He was being weirdly mysterious and excited, and it was freaking Rhodey out, to say the least.

He did as he was told, though, and opened the door. What he saw on the other side was so shocking that he didn’t know what to do or say. The room wasn’t empty anymore; it was decorated for a teenage boy, full of posters and Lego sets and… webs?

 _And_ _there was a teenage boy sitting on the bed!_

Rhodey was one hundred percent sure he blacked out, because the next thing he knows is that he’s lying on the couch in Tony’s living room, staring up at the faces of Tony and that boy.

He pointed a shaking finger at the boy, “W-who the _fuck is that!_ ”

Tony swatted his finger, “Language, Rhodey!”

“L—did you seriously just say ‘ _language’_?!” he pushed himself to sit and stared at his best friend. He was vaguely aware of the boy standing behind Tony, looking slightly intimidated and very awestruck.

Tony rolled his eyes, annoyed. “ _Rhodey_!” he whined, “This is _not_ how I wanted this to go.”

“How did you want what to go?” Rhodey was seriously considering shaking Tony back to himself. He was making _no sense_.

“You meeting Peter!”

“Who the—” Rhodey shut his eyes and pressed the heels of his hands on them. He inhaled deeply before opening his eyes again. “Okay, rewind. That’s Peter?” he pointed to the boy standing behind Tony.

“Yes,” Tony sighed. The boy—Peter—gave him a pinched smile and waved weakly. Tony turned to smile at him and pulled them both to sit on the couch opposite Rhodey. “Rhodes, this is Peter, my son.”

Rhodey blinked. It was all he could do. He stared at Tony and Peter, eyes widening with every passing second. Peter swallowed, looking nervously between Rhodey and Tony. Tony was still smiling, until he finally noticed the tension in the room, he jumped to his feet, “Oh, no, not like that. This is not what you think it is! We adopted him!”

Peter’s eyes widened, like he just now understood why Rhodey was frozen.

“Rhodey?”

Rhodey blinked again. “You… adopted a teenager?”

Tony’s shoulders sagged and he sat down next to Peter again, “Yeah.”

“ _Why?_ ”

Peter looked down, but Rhodey didn’t care that he’d hurt him. Despite his cute, puppy-like, brown eyes, Rhodey _will not_ care about this Peter until he knows exactly what’s going on. He glanced at him for a second, then turned his eyes back to Tony. _No, don’t get attached, Rhodey, what the hell!_

“Long story short, because his aunt died and I’ve always thought of him as a son, so I just did it.” Tony looked so annoyed, like he was exactly one second away from putting on his suit and blowing Rhodey’s brains. He has never seen him this protective before, not even over Pepper. Peter must really mean a lot to him.

“I’m sorry, Tony. I didn’t mean it that way,” Rhodey said softly, “It’s just, you’ve never talked about thi—Peter before.”

Tony smirked, and just like that, he was back to his usual self. But, Rhodey noticed, his arm was still around Peter’s shoulders, holding the boy to his side protectively. “I did talk about him. A lot. I just didn’t say his name.”

Rhodey frowned, “What—no. You only ever talk about Spider-Man these days. You never—holy sh— _Tony! Is this Spider-Man?!_ ”

Peter smiled, “I didn’t know you talked about me with _Colonel Rhodes_!” Rhodey blinked (he’s doing a lot of that, today. Hopefully his eyes won’t pop out), Peter sounded so young and excited and in awe. Forget all that _not caring_ shit. Rhodey already likes this kid.

“’Course I do, kid.” Tony ruffled Peter’s hair. He looked at Rhodey, “Rhodey, I—I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have thrown this on you like this. I was really excited about you meeting Peter that I didn’t really stop and tell you about it.” He turned to Peter again, “I’m sorry, kid. I know how excited you were about this, too.”

Peter shook his head, cutting Tony off, “Are you kidding? This was great. It’s really great to meet you, Colonel!”

Rhodey grinned for the first time on this day, “You, too, kid.”

Tony looked between the two of them and smiled, “Should I leave you two, then? I think I’m going to ruin this even more.”

“You didn’t ruin anything, Dad!” Peter said at the same time that Rhodey said, “Yes, Tones, _go_.”

“Well this is confusing. I guess I’ll go check on our tuxes. Alright, Pete?” Tony asked.

Peter smiled at him, “Okay. As long as I don’t go to that shop again.”

Tony laughed, and Rhodey supposed that this is a story he will be told later. He watched silently as Tony took Peter off to the side and talked to him in whispers. He’s probably telling him to be careful and stay safe. Really, seeing Tony so protective was messing with Rhodey.

He stared at Peter, the kid was almost as tall as Tony. He had brown, curly hair that looked a lot like Tony’s own that it was weird that he’s adopted. His eyes were sparkling with excitement, they looked like Tony’s when he got a new idea for something.

He was jumping on the heels of his feet, glancing every now and then at Rhodey. Rhodey had a grin plastered on his face, and Peter’s lips twitched whenever he saw it. Finally, Tony ruffled Peter’s hair and headed to the elevator, leaving Rhodey alone with… his new nephew, he supposed.

Huh, _nephew._ That’s a nice word, he could get used to it.

“So, um, hi, Colonel Rhodes.”

He’ll have to convince Peter to call him Uncle Rhodey, that would really be nice.

-

_Just to be clear, meeting your foster family for the first time is highly overrated._

_Especially if it’s your sixth foster family._

_In two years._

Cassandra frowned as she followed Elijah through the center. The man walked really fast, what with his _extremely_ long legs, and she struggled to match his stride. Her suitcase didn’t help at all, the rattling, run-down old thing was exactly seconds away from collapsing.

Elijah has been the CPS officer responsible for her ever since her aunt died two years ago. He kept telling her otherwise, but she knew that his life was so much better before he met her; she was a mess, and no foster family could settle with her. Elijah was always busy and tired because of her, overworking himself to try and find new foster families and potential adopters. He didn’t have any luck with the adopters, by the way, and no family kept her for longer than a few months.

But Elijah was a good, kind person, and he loved Cassandra like a little sister. She knew that if he could, he would’ve taken her in in a heartbeat.

She kept telling him that she was surely cursed. Or at least jinxed. But he always smiled and ruffled her hair, _‘Nuh-uh, Cass. There’s a family out there for you, I know it. They just don’t, yet.’_ Then Cassandra would glare and ask him to call them and make them _hurry the hell up_.

“We’re here!” Elijah stopped suddenly and Cassandra almost ran into him. She looked up at the tired-looking wooden door in front of them and gulped nervously. She hated this part; what if they didn’t like her? What if they decided, then and there, that she was hopeless, and she had to return to the cold, hard bed in the back of the center, _again_?

“Why are you so happy?” she asked him with a weary moan. The bed she’d slept on last night was the worst she’d experienced so far, and the lack of good sleep was showing itself in the form of a pounding head. She wasn’t ready to tackle one of Elijah’s weird good moods.

Elijah grinned, completely ignoring her inner turmoil, which she knew he knew about, what with his ability to read people so seamlessly. “I have a good feeling!”

“You always have a good feeling, Eli. So, excuse me for not being excited.”

Elijah tried to hide his wince. What he was wincing for, though, Cassandra couldn’t guess. Sarcastic banter was second nature between them, so why did he look… whatever that look meant. She really needs to learn to read people’s faces.

She was about to ask him what was wrong when he placed his hands on her shoulders, “I know, but this is different. Trust me, Cass, I’m sure!”

She pursed her lips dubiously. There was something fishy going on with Elijah, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to know. She gulped, “They aren’t a-adopters, are they?”

Eli’s face fell, and he looked away. “No, Cass. I’m sorry.”

She nodded, exhaling. “It’s okay. I knew it.” It wasn’t okay, and she was an idiot. Why did she bother with hope at all? All it ever did was disappoint her.

“Oh, Cass.” Of course, Elijah knew exactly what she was thinking. Blasted mind-reading powers. He hugged her, placing his chin on her head, “You know it’s going to be okay one day, right? You’ll have a family who loves you and protects you.”

She shook her head. Clutching his shirt in her tight fists, she tried not to cry, “I’m _sixteen_ , Eli! You know what that means!”

Elijah patted her back and pulled away, releasing his shirt from her hold, “I know, Cass, but let’s have hope this one last time, at least?”

Cassandra calmed herself, running her hands over her face and breathing deeply from her nose. “Okay. Tell me about them again.” She didn’t need that, she’d already memorized all there is to know about them, but she needs to calm down before she meets them, and Elijah’s voice does that.

“Daniel and Elena Mitchell. And their daughter, Pansy. She’s your age, by the way,” Elijah started. It wasn’t working. For the first time in the two years she had known the man, Elijah’s voice was void of emotion. It was like… like something. She couldn’t put her finger on it.

“Eli,” she cut him off, “Are you okay?”

He sighed. “No. I’m sorry, Cass. There’s something I have to tell you.”

“What?” a huge rock appeared in her stomach and it was weighting her down.

“I—I’m moving, Cass. I’ve been transferred to—to Virginia.”

Her eyes widened, and all the air left her lungs at once. “No… no. No! Not you, too, Eli! I can’t do this again!”

Elijah pulled his lips into a thin line. “I know, Cass. I didn’t want to do this, but I didn’t really get a choice. I’ll miss you.”

A tear slipped from her eyes, “No! You don’t—you don’t get to say that!”

Another worker passed them and frowned, “Is everything okay? Pearson? What are you even doing here? Shouldn’t you be down there, like, yesterday?”

Elijah nodded at the other man before returning his gaze to Cassandra. “Kid, I’m sorry. But I have to go…. Last hug?”

Cassandra nodded wordlessly, crashing into his chest. Why was this always happening to her? Why did she have to lose too many people? Why, Universe?

-

When Cassandra walked through the wooden door, she found herself in a small room with a family of three. The Mitchells.

“Ah, you must be Cassandra.” The woman, Elena, said. She was ugly, to say the least. She had double everything in her body, chin, cheeks, neck, arms, legs, you name it, she has two of it. Cassandra almost shuddered at the amount of fat on this woman.

Her husband was the complete opposite. He had too little body that he was almost hidden, sitting between his wife and daughter, who looked like a replica of her mother.

“Y-yeah, hi.” She almost cursed her voice for breaking, but she was still reeling from the discovery that Elijah was leaving—had already left, actually.

Elena Mitchell _humph-_ ed, scrunching her nose at Cassandra. Her black, beady eyes narrowed and she stood up. “Well, let’s get going, then.”

Cassandra blinked, “You’re l-leaving?”

Elena rolled her eyes haughtily, “I just said so, _girl_. Come on.” Only when she saw that somehow Daniel and Pansy were already out the door, did Cassandra realize that that last order was directed at her. She gulped, following the Mitchells out.

_I hope this would end well. Please, please let it end well._

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Cassandra says hi!
> 
> So, um, just to be in the clear, I wanted to say that I have no idea how the foster system works in the US (or any other country, for that matter), and that everything related to that in this fic is totally born from my over-eager imagination.
> 
> (I did watch Instant Family the other day—it’s so awesome—and I thought briefly about including that 26 hearing thing later on, but I don’t know anything about courts and I’m too lazy to research, so adoption happens by paperwork in here, folks.)
> 
> Also, just an FYI, I didn't want Rhodey to instantly fall head over heels for Peter, because really, would you, if your best friend who's like your brother suddenly announced that he'd adopted a kid who you know nothing about? I don't think so.
> 
> P.S I'd like to remind you that I’m making this fic up as I go, so I don’t know when the next update is gonna be, or what will happen next. I really like to hear all your thoughts about it, though. So, leave a comment. Pretty please! :)  
> (I have a tumblr, but i don't really open it all that often, because it's kinda a secret from my parents. i do reblog a lot of cool mcu stuff tho, so check it out if you like-- quietmessofafangirl)


	5. Chapter 5

He fell off his bed with a mess of wet bed sheets and a pounding head. Peter stayed on the cold floor for some minutes, enjoying the little comfort of having something cold pressing on his hot cheek.

He shut his eyes, then immediately opened them again; visions of his nightmare-Thanos cackling over him swirled in front of his eyes and almost made him sick.

He struggled to get up, untangling the sheets from around his legs with one hand and pressing the other to his forehead, trying in vain to stop his pounding headache. When he finally got up, his vision was sprinkled with little black dots for a second, which he blinked five times to get rid of. He walked on wobbly legs to his bathroom and fumbled with the cabinet, then grabbed a bottle of Advil and dumped two pills in his palm. He looked around for a cup, but he didn’t find any, and because he was too lazy and disoriented to go all the way down to the kitchen, he just cupped his other hand and filled it with water and used it as a pretend cup.

Then he washed his face with cold water, trying to get rid of as much sweat as he could without actually taking a shower.

Peter went back to the room and eyed his bed. It was dreadfully messy, and he was _not_ looking forward to climbing back on it. He went over to the desk and opened his notebook—why wasn’t it under the bed?—he had just started writing the details of his last meeting with that ugly, purple maniac when he heard a knock from his door.

“Buddy?” Dad knocked on the door, startling Peter so much that he fell off the chair. He shoved his notebook under his mattress and scrambled to the door.

“Dad?” He inched the door open to find him standing outside.

“I knew I heard some noise,” Dad said to himself; then a bit louder, “Are you okay, bud? It’s two a.m.”

Peter blinked. All those horrible nightmares, and it was only three hours? It felt like an entire day! “Wha—no. I’m fine,” he lied, hoping that Dad couldn’t see the remains of sweat on his neck. “I just couldn’t sleep.”

Dad nodded absentmindedly. He was looking at Peter more closely than normal and Peter was getting a little nervous. Please don’t push it, he thought. Please let it go.

Then Dad grinned, “Nervous about the wedding, aren’t you?”

Peter let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “Yeah. Yeah, that’s it. I can’t believe that’s actually happening!”

Dad smiled and nodded again. Peter didn’t look at him, especially not at his eyes, instead he let his gaze wander around the hallway until it settled on Dad’s door. It was being pulled open, revealing Mom in a size-too-large pajama.

Dad was about to say something—Peter heard his mouth open and his heartbeats quicken—but Mom interrupted him. “Are you guys okay?” She asked, voice scratchy from sleep. She coughed, clearing her throat.

“Yep,” Dad answered, turning to smile at his fiancée. “Peter couldn’t sleep, that’s all.”

Mom smiled. “Must be excited for tomorrow,” she said through a yawn.

Peter nodded. Dad sighed, a little exasperated, “Go back to sleep, Pep. You’ve had a long day.”

She rolled her eyes, “Don’t boss me around, that’s my job.” She crossed the hallway and pressed a kiss on Peter’s right cheek. “Good night, sweetie.” Then she stepped back into her room and Peter heard the tiny squeak of the bed as she climbed back on it.

Dad stayed out in the hallway for a minute longer, making Peter’s nerves extra jittery as he looked anywhere but at the older man. He heard him sniff, and the next thing he knows is that Dad is right in his personal space and kissing his hair. Dad stepped back, ruffling the area he just kissed. “Good night, kid…. You know, I’m always right here if you want to talk.”

Peter wanted to fall to his knees and cry. What is it with the adults in his life that makes them say exactly what he wants to hear? It was like Dad looked right through him, saw through his lie, and told him that he knows that Peter’s still a 17-year-old who’s seen and felt too much. His eyes widened as he zeroed on his mentor’s loving gaze. There it was, that rare proud and concerned look on his face; the corner of his mouth pulled up slightly in a reassuring smile, while his eyes betrayed exactly how worried he was about Peter, the superhero teenager that he’s responsible for now.

Peter set his jaw. That specific look was what made him lie and not tell Dad about his nightmares and flashbacks. _I don’t want you to worry about me_ , he thought as he smiled at Dad. “Sure, Dad. I’ll remember that.”

Dad pursed his lips, looking a little disappointed. Peter stepped forward and buried himself in Dad’s chest, wrapping his arms around him. He was determined to not let that look appear on his mentor’s face, ever again.

“I love you.”

The arms that Dad had snaked around him tightened their hold. “I love you too, Peter. More than you can imagine.”

Peter pulled back, sporting what he hoped was a smirk. Right then, Peter wanted nothing more than to fall back into Dad’s embrace and cry, tell him about all that’s been going on for the last week and say how sorry he was for lying. But all of that would just worry Dad even more, and then _that look_ will come back, and Peter can’t bear to see it again.

Anyways, the man already has too much on his plate. Peter should really stop considering telling him about his nightmares when the older man must have ones of his own.

He should ask about that one day, now that he thought about it.

“Well, uh, good night, kiddo.”

“’Night, Dad,” Peter didn’t wait until Dad turned back to his room to shut his own door, but he did follow him with his ears, waiting until he heard Dad settle in his bed and press a kiss to Mom’s cheek—probably—to nod to himself and do a little happy dance. One more night of making Dad less worried? Check.

He jumped onto his bed and went through the events of the night in his head. He leaned over and snatched his red journal from under the bed (he is _not_ calling it a diary, that’s girlish). He opened it, barely sparing a glance to the last line he scribbled in before turning a new page. Has it really been only ten minutes since he was writing his soul out about memories of that ugly grape and his sparkly glove?

He sighed, rubbing his eyes; as per his luck, _now_ he wants to sleep. He started writing again—ignoring his yawns—not about Ugly-Grape Thanos, or the Soul Stone, but instead about how happy his life was now; how wonderful Dad and Mom were; how much he missed May, and how he knew that she’s in a better place now, wherever that was; and how Peter will do anything and everything in his power to not let neither Dad nor Mom worry about him.

He smiled after he finished, putting the journal under his bed again. He wrapped himself up in his blankets. If this works out just as good as it did after the fights with the Vulture, Dad won’t have to worry about him. Maybe he could even tell him about this little coping mechanism of his, maybe it’ll help Dad, too.

He yawned. First things first, he’s gotta get a good night’s sleep. He has a full day tomorrow and a wedding to go to.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, guys! Sorry for the short chapter. I didn’t have time to write anymore, but I wanted to post this chapter before my end-of-the-year exams (and Endgame! Holy shit, only 13 days remaining!) because I wouldn’t be able to write again until they’re over.
> 
> In the meantime, please tell me what you think and if you have any ideas that you want to see in Tony and Pepper’s wedding, please tell me, I haven’t planned it yet!
> 
> Lots of love, guys, Mari :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Wedding!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, would you look at that, I'm actually back three weeks earlier! I was supposed to wait until I finish my finals before I come back to writing, but I just had to post something after the shit-show that was Endgame. So, I thought, what's better than a very happy, very alive Tony Stark? (Yes! Tony's POV!)
> 
> And I want to thank my best friend for helping me through this chapter. I couldn't have done it without your input! I've edited a couple of things from the draft you read this morning, so I hope you like it :)
> 
> And, and, thanks to Fabytherabbit for your suggestions for Pepper's dress.
> 
> P.S. next chapter, a very alive Natasha Romanoff makes a kind-of appearance XD

 

Cassandra gasped as she grabbed the edge of the sink. She didn’t notice that she had spilled a bit of soapy water on the floor next to her foot, and she almost twisted her ankle slipping on it.

She glared at the floor as she wiped off the mess, cursing her foster father. Her ankle wouldn’t be throbbing right now if the damned man didn’t order her to wash the big piles of three-days-old dirty dishes by _hand_. And there was a perfectly working dishwasher, sitting _right there_ , that he’d plugged off and told her didn’t work.

 _Honestly_ , she thought. _I might not be that much of a genius, but I do have a_ brain _! (Plus I go to a STEM school, for fuck’s sake.)_

When she stood up, she found Pansy smirking at her from the doorway. “Did you finish yet?” she asked in that condescending, haughtier-than-thou tone that she’s learned from her mother.

Cassandra raised her right eyebrow, looking pointedly at the piles of dishes on the counter. _“Are you blind, now?”_ she wanted to snort; “Not yet, Pansy,” she answered—politely, thank you very much—instead.

Pansy didn’t care anyway. Cass knew what the vile girl had come for (she’s never stepped foot in this particular room ever since Cassandra moved in this house last week), and she knew that she will never give her the satisfaction of getting to her.

So what if today was when Tony Stark and Pepper Potts will finally get married? So what if she had been waiting for this day ever since she’d heard about their ‘couple’ status? So what if it was one of the things that she and Aunt Emily were the most excited about and Aunt Em wasn’t alive now to see it?

The answer is: nothing. That’s what. The Mitchells had specifically told Cass that the Wedding of the Century was something she wasn’t allowed to watch, and Cass had said, ‘Yes, of course.’

 _So_ , that means she won’t let Pansy—who was on a mission to spy on her—know that she plans to watch it anyway.

Only problem is, she hasn’t figured out how.

And it’s starting in an hour.

*~*~*

Cassandra groaned for the nth time that minute. The wedding had started ten minutes ago, and she still hasn’t finished washing the fucking dishes.

Plus, her whole front was now dripping wet (and _cold_ ), because _of course_ the Mitchells’ tap is broken. And, of course, they won’t even give her an apron.

However, quite thankfully, in another instance of Mrs. Mitchells’ utter ill-meaning stupidity, the woman had cranked up the sound of the TV as far up as it can go—in an effort to make Cass jealous, no question—and it let Cass know that the guests were just arriving to the church where Mr. Stark (hey, wasn’t he a doctor, too?) and Miss Potts are getting married.

It felt a lot like the Royal Wedding of last year—not that she had been allowed to watch _that_ , either—but Cass was way more excited for this one.

Although apparently, she wasn’t going to watch this one either.

*~*~*

For the first time in his life, Tony wondered why people called him a genius.

They always said that he was the best of the best, a child prodigy, a perfect mind, always knowing what to do and what to say and how to say it.

Well, for the first time in his life, Tony disagreed.

He was sure he was gaping. Open-mouthed. Staring, unblinking, down the aisle where Pepper was standing.

Gorgeous, beautiful, amazing, perfect, Pepper.

Who he could not think of one suitable word to describe. Every word that managed to break into his muffled mind could not do Pepper any sort of justice.

So he did what any decent man would do in his situation. He stopped thinking.

Pepper looked up and caught his gaze—and his heart fully stopped. All the air left his lungs and he gasped. He felt like he was having a panic attack, but in a totally beautiful way.

Then Pepper smiled and he wasn’t sure what that meant for his mental health, but he saw a _halo_ around her face. She was _glowing_ , strawberry-blonde hair flowing around her face in sparkling ringlets.

Her arm was linked with Peter’s, who looked thoroughly ecstatic, grinning at both Pepper and Tony like he couldn’t believe where he was. Tony supposed that that was justified. If you’d told him ten years ago that he would have a son, get married to Pepper, and be expecting another child, he would’ve laughed in your face and then dumped his martini on you.

Peter and Pepper started walking down the aisle towards him, and he felt tears prickling at his eyes. He knew he would cry if he kept looking at Pepper’s happy face, so he moved his eyes downwards to admire her dress.

Seeing as Pepper forbid him from watching Say Yes To The Dress with her, he didn’t know the right lingo to describe her masterpiece of a dress. Not that he would’ve remembered in this state of giddy drunkenness.

The fabric wrapped around her bodice in a kind-of heart shape. Sweetheart-cut-thingy? Is that what it’s called? Anyways, it was covered in lace (just like the rest of the dress) and maybe beads? It looked sparkly. But he was also like half-drunk, so he couldn’t really say.

It sneaked down snugly over her abdomen, hips and upper legs, then it reached just over her knees and exploded into a flowy skirt, billowing around her shins and covering her definitely-heel-clad feet.

It had a long trail, following her down the red carpet in front of the couple flower girls. And there was a thin, silvery, glittery veil covering her face and bosom. He almost didn’t notice it, with how thin it was, but now that he was looking for it, he saw that it was attached to a tiara on her head and went over her back and down to the floor, even longer than the trail of her dress.

In short: breathtaking, sparkly, majestic, utterly and absolutely magnificent.

They finally reached the top of the aisle where Tony was standing, Pepper kissed Peter’s cheek, and he grinned at both of them before coming to stand next to Tony as one of his groomsmen. Tony and Pepper turned to face each other, and he found himself lost in her blue eyes. He barely payed attention as the ceremony started, finding himself stuck under Pepper’s gaze. He didn’t even notice that he was saying his vows until a tear slipped down Pepper’s cheek. He supposed he said something nice, at the very least, based on her reaction.

Then she was squeezing his hands and Rhodey was standing next to them with the rings and Tony visibly gulped. _This is it_ , he thought. _Pepper will be my_ wife _in few seconds!_

He snatched the ring from Rhodey and carefully slid it onto Pepper’s left ring finger. She took his ring from Rhodey just as excitedly as he did and delicately slid it on.

She bit her lower lip as she looked up at him and he couldn’t hold his tears as they were pronounced _husband and wife_. He reached out with shaking hands and lifted her veil. Pepper grinned at him, eyes wide and beautiful, and he noticed a sapphire necklace that made her eyes look brighter and so much bluer.

He didn’t wait for the priest to finish his sentence before he cupped her cheeks and leaned forward.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty, so, you might notice that I've moved Harry and Megan's wedding to 2017, because in 2018 (when this story is set) everybody is mourning and trying to get the dusted back, so they can't have a Royal Wedding :)
> 
> Aaand, if anybody wants to rant about what a shit-show Endgame was, come talk to me on Tumblr (same url as AO3), I'm mostly online :))
> 
> Hope you like it, please comment what you think, and see you guys in three weeks (unless i decide to write something when I'm supposed to study for finals)


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